Never as Planned
by Baelparagon
Summary: This is a one-shot request done for JulCan1987, hope you all like it. Rated T for slight adult situations, nothing raunchy or lemony. OriHana some mention of IchiRuki.


**Hey there everybody this is a one-shot request I'm doing for JulCan1987. Featured pairing is HanaHime, not one of my favorites but definitely something I could see. They're both very adorable and are very nice. Also writer Sixsamchaos has rewritten the start to his story Hanataro the Guardian and I must say it's much better than before, so I'd suggest taking a look. Anyways I'm also working on the next chapter for painful attachment and I hope to update it soon. Let me know what you think and enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Soul Society<strong>

For Hanataro things never seemed to go as planned. Take the ryoka invasion for example. All he had intended to do was ask the 11th division members where his squad had gone, and before he knew it he was being held hostage by Ichigo and Ganju. While this ended up working well as he helped save both Rukia as well as gain bunch of new friends, it showed the general amount of chaos that pervaded his life.

"Hit him harder, I don't think he's had enough yet!" Today for example he had been on his way to the 1st division when he'd been waylaid by a familiar group of 11th division members. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem; his captain had been helping him get stronger in the last 17 months. However in his haste to help the returning fighters he had forgotten his zanpakuto back at home. This now was the primary reason he was currently pinned to a wall.

"You don't have that cursed blade to help you out this time brat, time to pay for that mistake." Hanataro's arms pinned to the side he looked at the group of shinigami, hoping to reason with them Blood leaking from the corner of his mouth he raised his eyes and looked at the head of the group, an ugly looking guy with his hair set in a Mohawk. "P-please can we d-do this later. I ha-have to get to the 1st di-division, my captain is wa-waiting for me."

For a moment the man's eyes clouded over, fear rising up in them for a second. This passed over quickly though as the others cheered and taunted him on. "Your captain hasn't ever punished us for hurting us before, she won't help you now." Hanataro closed his eyes as the man lifted up his fist preparing to send it hurtling into his face.

Hanataro suddenly heard a whoosh pass by him, the cheers and taunts of the bullies dying off. For a moment he only heard silence. Daring to open his eyes, he first saw the bully looking to his left fearfully, his hair falling away as his Mohawk had been sliced off of his head. When Hanataro looked to the left he could understand the man's fear.

Standing off to the left the ryoka minus Ichigo were standing, Uryu's bow held back while Chad had his arm transformed. Letting Hanataro drop to the ground the leader of the group began backing away, eyes darting to the left and right.

"You know I detest bullies on the best of days, but one's who bully people who can't fight back are a disgrace to life." The man tried to respond, but his wavering voice was caught in his throat. Uryu sighed, giving a quick look at Orihime. "Inoue, please help that guy, Chad and I have to teach these guys a lesson in respect. Alright we'll give you a three second head start. Three…"

The whole group took of quickly running down the hallway. Uryu looked at Chad a grin on his face. "We'll I think they've had enough time don't you?" Chad nodded at this, running forward as Uryu leapt up to the top of the corridor, releasing a shot which was met by a scream of pain. Grinning he disappeared, more blue flashes being seen in the distance.

Shaking her head Orihime walked up to the shinigami, who had been staring at the scene with a blank expression. "Sorry about that, I imagine that must have been quite weird to see." An image of Captain Zaraki leapt in his mind, the memory of when Kon had hijacked his body coming to mind. "N-no its f-fine, this is ac-actually somewhat normal. Th-thank you for your help."

Orihime smiled down at him, her hairclips popping off of her uniform collar. This inadvertently drew his gaze to the beautiful girl's large bust, causing his cheeks to burn up. Fortunately for him Orihime was to focused on her fairies to notice his blush. "I haven't helped you yet, just give me a moment." Before he could ask what she meant her fairies flew towards him as a golden bubble appeared over him.

Looking down at his arm his eyes widened as a cut he had gotten from running simply vanished from his arm. After about ten seconds the power withdrew and he was able to stand up. "Th-thank you miss…uhm I'm s-sorry I don't know your name." Orihime beamed at this, dropping into a low bow.

"Oh I'm sorry, Orihime Inoue, pleased to meet you." Hanataro quickly returned the bow, doing his best to avoid the girl's current posture. "Ya-Yamada Hanataro, it's g-good to meet you as well." In a heartbeat he found the girls hands on his shoulders pulling him up. Orihime was looking at him, a curious expression on her face. "I know you, you're the one who helped Ganju-san and Ichigo, Rukia told me about you when she and I was training here."

Hanataro shifted hi feet a little, unused to being looked at like this. "Oh Lady Rukia ta-talked about me. Wh-what did she s-say about me." Orihime looked at him, an honest look on her face. "She said that you were somewhat clumsy, and that you got picked on a lot." Seeing the boy's head dropped she pulled him into a hug, a small grin on her face. "She also said you're a very nice boy, and you saved both her and Ichigo's life."

Hanataro rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed by the girls contact. "I…I didn't really do th-that much, I ju-just helped heal them after the fights." Orihime gave a chuckle, stopping the boy's movements. "I guess you and I are in the same boat, that's the only thing that I did as well. But it helped out in the end right?" Hanataro gave a small smile at this, nodding his head in agreement.

It was at this moment his stomach decided to throw him under the bus; it let out a large rumble signaling his hunger. He dropped his head in embarrassment, only lifting it up when the girl gave out a sound of contemplation. "Hmm it is getting close to noon, say would you like to get some lunch with me?" Hanataro looked up at her surprised by the question. "I-I'd like that b-but don't you have to wait f-for your friend?"

Orihime shook her head at this, having grasped his arm and pulling him along. "Knowing Uryu he may be at this for a while, especially if he tells Ichigo about it, they'll turn it into some kind of contest. Anyways why don't we eat at…" For a minute the girl stopped walking, her forehead scrunched in confusion. Turning to the boy it was her turn to rub her head in confusion. "I'm sorry, I don't really know any of the places around here."

Saying this she let out a nervous laugh, expecting the boy to laugh at her or mock her. Hanataro looked at her for a moment, then simply gave a warm smile. "We'll m-my apartment is close by, w-we could eat there if y-you like?" The girl smiled at this, letting go of the boys arm. "That sounds great, lead the way!"

Walking through the corridors of the Seireitei, they eventually made their way into the 4th division, which at the moment was mostly deserted. Going into one of the residential compounds Hanataro approached his quarters, hands reaching into his pocket for his key. He pulled it out of his he went to unlock the door, only to drop it on the ground. Internally cursing himself for his clumsiness, he reached down to pick up the key only for his hand to rest on Orihime's who had reached at the same time.

The two looked at each other for a moment before they both turned away, a tint of red on both of their cheeks. Picking up the key he muttered an apology, slipping the key into the lock and opening the door. Entering the apartment Orihime looked around the home, curious to see what it looked like. The interior was fairly plain, a small living room/kitchen space with two doors connected to it, she assumed these were connected to the bathroom and bedroom. The furniture was fairly Spartan, only a table, a couple chairs and a bookcase present in the room.

"M-miss Orihime, wo-would you like something t-to drink?" Orihime nodded, sitting down at the table. "If you have any juice that would be nice." Nodding his head he went into the kitchen and removed a carton from the fridge, he began pouring it into a pair of glasses. While he did this Orihime removed her shoes, placing them off to the side.

Looking around she took a look at the bookshelf, noticing a moving little figure on it. It was a group of small moving men, each of them stirring a pot and eventually what looked like a cake popping out. She found herself starting to reach for the moving figures in awe, only to stop when she remembered where she was.

"Hanataro?" The medic poked his head back around the corner, a curious expression on his face. "Yes Miss Orihime?" The girl smiled a little bashfully at this, trailing a finger through her hair. "Just Inoue if you would, umm I was wondering what that dancing cake thing is?" Hanataro looked at the aforementioned item, a warm smile appearing on his face. Orihime found herself drawn to it, seeing it suited him better than his tired look. "Oh that's a gift from a friend in the 12th division, it commemorates the first day him, Yumichika and I made cake."

Saying this he reached over to the counter grabbing the two glasses in his hand. As he walked over the smile stayed on his face, his whole being seemed to glow more. "That was a great time, it was my first time in the human world and there was so mu-" as he was going to set the glasses down he tripped over her shoes, juice cups flying in the air and splashing down her front. Orihime gave a small shriek as the cold liquid splashed across her coat.

For a minute neither one moved or looked at each other, one of them embarrassed beyond belief and the other just hoping to get through this without a beating. Finally Orihime looked at the soul reaper his face pressed down into her shoe, shaking slightly as his lower body was arced in the air. _Oh god that's, I mean that position._ Orihime tried to keep it together, she really did, but when he looked up she saw her shoelace pass over his nose like a mustache, she simply lost it. Falling backwards she just started laughing, uncaring that by doing so she had put her back in more juice. At seeing this Hanataro couldn't help but join in, clutching his stomach as he laughed freely for the first time in years.

After a minute the two were simply laying there, both out of breath yet still smiling. Having caught his breath first Hanataro looked up at Orihime, his smiling slipping away from his face. "S-Sorry about that Orhime, I can b-be to clumsy for my own good." The orange haired girl just waved him off, trying to show him it was all right. "Accidents happen Hanataro, at least we got a good laugh out of it."

Hanataro sat up at this, a shy blush on his face. "Yeah…I guess you're right." Not hearing him stutter pleased Orihime, although she didn't know why. Feeling the shirt sticking to her chest she felt her own cheeks flame up, feeling a little nervous. "Umm Hanataro, I hate to be a bother, but would you have a place for me to clean up, this juice is all sticky."

While these words had been said innocently enough, the effect they had on Hanataro was large to say the least. His mouth went dry and he found his heart beating in his chest like a drum. Orihime looked at Hanataro, a little confused by his silence. "Hanataro are you alright?" Snapping out of his state he raised a shaking hand, pointing it at the door on the left. "Th-the bathroom is o-over there, it also h-has a cl-cleaning basin in their f-for your clothes." Orihime smiled standing up and walking over to the door. "Thanks, I'll be quick."

With that the door closed, leaving Hanataro to himself. Taking a minute to calm his nerves he eventually stood up, picking up the glasses and cleaning up the spilled juice. Going into the kitchen he put a pot on the stove, heating the water and pouring in ingredients. As he did this he could hear the water running in the bathroom, with the occasional splash here and there.

_Oh god, this is so weird, there's a girl in my bathroom cleaning herself, her nak- no stop just focus on the vegetables. Yes focus on something safe something clean._ Orihime for her part was enjoying the sensation of water, quickly washing over her body. Her clothes were hung up on the wall, soaked from having cleaned them. Stepping out of the tub she looked around for a towel, only to find there wasn't one.

"Hanataro?" Pulling him away from the stove he poked his head out, seeing her face poking around the bathroom door. "Y-yes miss ori- I-I mean Inoue?" Inoue looked at him a light blush on her face. "I hate to bother you but I don't have a towel or change of clothes." Feeling like slapping himself in frustration at his lack of foresight, he nodded at this unable to look her in the eye. Walking into his room he pulled out an extra pair of clothes and towel, heading back and handing them to her, looking away. "So-sorry if it's a little small."

Orihime simply smiled, drying off on the other side of the door. "I'm sure it'll be fine once my clothes dry, don't worry about it." Nodding Hanataro went back into the kitchen, checking on and finishing up the meal. He heard the door of the bathroom opened but he didn't look, finishing up the food. Removing a pair of bowls he filled them and went to set them on the table, only to stop as he saw the woman sitting down at the table before him.

While Orihime had been pretty before he couldn't describe her as anything but gorgeous . She had done up her hair, stray strands of it running down the sides of her face. The uniform which he had loaned her was to small, if only by a little, her bust strained against the material and pushing out. With her hands folded in her lap and her face in a serene expression one could have mistaken her for art.

As she turned and looked at him he shook these thoughts away, moving carefully and setting the bowls down. Orihime took a whiff of the soup, hands quickly reaching for a pair of chopsticks. As both said a quick prayer for the food they began to eat.

"Hanataro this is delicious, you and I should cook sometime together. Me and Rangiku could show you my special red bean paste bread, this would go perfect with this." Hanataro chuckled a little nervously, the sound of the food a little off putting. "So Inoue it must be good now that Ichigo has his powers back." She nodded at this, her mouth to full to answer at the moment. Once she did she looked up, a happy expression on her face.

"Yes for the past year and a half he just wasn't himself, he moved through everything half dead. Now that he's got his powers back and Rukia is back he…I mean he's…" As her sentence trailed off her eyes looked downward, a faint sadness settling in them.

"Inoue are you alright?" she looked back at him, his eyes exuding concerned. Not wanting to look mopey she slapped a fake smile on her face. "Oh I'm fine Hanataro, it's just good to see Rukia again, I've missed her that's all." Sensing a lie, he debated whether or not he should press her about it, he didn't want to risk ruining this new friendship. Upon seeing the pain in her eyes he noticed the slight moisture in the eyes. _Screw it_.

He reached forward, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. "it's alright…you can tell me if something's wrong." Orihime wanted to brush him off but found that she couldn't, the emotions she had bottled up pushing out. "It's…it's so stupid. I watch the two of them, watch the relationship the two have with each other, but all I can feel when I see it is jealousy." Hanataro didn't say anything, not that she really noticed at this point, speaking as much to herself as she was him.

"I've stood by for years, watching him trying to talk to and befriend him but he never notices me, I've always been secondary in comparison with others. Then she came along and whatever focus he had with me fell away, his world became so focused elsewhere even people he was closer to like Tatsuki simply disappeared. Even when he came to save me I know he did it out of friendship, not out of…"

Hanataro stared at her, not needing to hear the end of her sentence. He remembered the time he had healed Renji, hoping that he would save her knowing that someone like him would be able to. Hearing her sniffle he came out of his inner thoughts, returning to the situation at hand.

"I know I shouldn't feel this way, I should be happy for them, for what they have and what they will have. But I can't, I can't watch as someone who he knew for only weeks holds more of his attention, more of his love than I ever have in all the years I've been with him. I want to stop feeling this way but I…" She stopped talking, unable to finish what she wanted to say. Hanataro was unsure what to do, but he decided to go with his gut.

Orihime was about to make up some sort of excuse to leave when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, pulling her into a hug. She looked down at the small male, surprise etched on her face. He placed his head next to her shoulder, so as not to give her the wrong impression.

"It's not wrong to feel that way Inoue, honestly that's the way I feel when around Rukia. She's just so massive in the eyes of everyone and I'm so small, most of the time I don't think she even knows I'm there. The hard thing to accept is that you can love someone with all your heart, but they just might not love you back."

Hearing the pain in the boy's words, well it broke something inside her and before she knew it she was returning the hug, head plopped into his shoulder. For a minute the two sat there, simply comforting each other. As he rubbed circles into her back Orihime's mind was thinking over what he had said. _He…he's right, no matter how much I try I'm never going to get through to Ichigo, at best I'll just be his female friend. I…I need to let him go and find someone else or I'll never be happy._

Pulling away she wiped her sleeve across her face, drying her tears. Looking at the teenager shinigami, she felt herself smiling despite her sadness. "Hanataro I…thank you. I didn't want to hear that but I needed to. So thank you." As he simply nodded his head she felt her cell phone ring. Pulling it out she talked for a minute or two before sighing, giving an answer and closing the phone.

"That was Uryu, I'm sorry but-" Hanataro shook his head. "No I understand I-I'll clean up here and you c-can get changed and go." Nodding she and him both set to it, she grabbing and changing back into her now clean clothes while he set about cleaning the place up. As they both finished they walked up to the door they could sense Uryu and the other ryoka outside. She was about to grab the handle when she stopped, turning to look at the medic.

"Thank you for the lunch Hanataro, and for being nice to me. You're…a really good person you know." Hanataro gave a smile at this, his voice not betraying him for once. "It was my pleasure Inoue. I hope we meet again someday." Orihime responded, her voice cracking a little at the end. "I hope we do to."

For a moment she hesitated before she leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek his breath catching in his throat. And without another word she opened the door to the outside, walking out of the apartment and back to the somebodies, out of his nobody life. Hanataro stood still for a moment before raising his hand to his cheek, still warm from where her lips had planted themselves. Giving a sigh he went down crashing on his bed, and for the first time since his brother had died he cried. He had gotten over one impossible love, only to find himself tangled into an equally impossible one.

But as he should probably have realized by now was that nothing ever went as planned, and while this had caused him much grief in life, it would soon be the greatest source of his joy. The mishaps of his life would eventually return him to the orange haired goddess who had stolen his heart, and against all odds and all the plans of both the humans and Soul Society the two would be intertwined, held by something much stronger. And while others would look at them strangely for their habits and mannerisms, not one person would meet them and not wish to trade places with them. It wouldn't of course because even if things never seem to go as planned, sometimes it's so beautiful you have to wonder if it's actually the complete opposite.

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><p><strong>Well that was fun, hope you liked it JulCan and everybody. Please let me know what you think and see you at the next update. Also if anyone else wants a request you just have to ask, If i feel i can do it justice i will. Alright cya next time.<strong>


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